True meaning of Christmas

We have all learned history from most dedicated teachers. We have learned about all the great events of our world: the Roman Empire, the American Revolution, Napoleon, the 1^st and 2^nd World Wars but there is only one event that explains all others and only one that is the turning point of all history: Christmas.

St. Irenaeus, Bishop of Lyons, wrote “Adversus Haereses” around 180 AD (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103.htm. The thesis of the book is all misunderstandings of the faith start from one single misunderstanding: the Incarnation.

If we understand what the Incarnation is then we understand the Cross and we have no problem with the Resurrection. If we understand the Incarnation we understand it is God who died at Calvary and it is God who rose again. The answer to the age old question “how can a man become God” is then easily answered. A man cannot become God. It is God who becomes man. Then, even the simple question “how can bread become God” is resolved just as easily. Bread cannot become God. It is God who becomes bread. It is God who remains and dwells with us (Immanuel=in remanere El; God remains with us - John 1:14).

St. Ephraem

In Bensalem there is a church called St. Ephrem. I must admit my ignorance. I didn’t know who St. Ephrem was. He was a doctor (teacher) of the Church who died in June 373 AD. Some of his remaining writings are Hymns on the Nativity (http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/3703.htm). I thought they would worth sharing. Interesting also, already in the 4^th century December was recognized as the month Christ was born.

[...] In December when the nights are long, rose unto us the Day, of Whom there is no bound! In winter when all the world is gloomy, forth came the Fair One Who cheered all in the world! In winter that makes the earth barren, virginity learned to bring forth. In December, that causes the travails of the earth to cease, in it were the travails of virginity. [...]

[...] Glory to that Voice Which became Body, and to the Word of the High One Which became Flesh! Hear Him also, O ears, and see Him, O eyes, and feel Him, O hands, and eat Him, O mouth! You members and senses give praise unto Him, that came and quickened the whole body! Mary bare the silent Babe, while in Him were hidden all tongues! Joseph bare Him, and in Him was hidden a nature more ancient than anything that is old! The High One became as a little child, and in Him was hidden a treasure of wisdom sufficing for all! Though Most High, yet He sucked the milk of Mary, and of His goodness all creatures suck! He is the Breast of Life, and the Breath of Life; the dead suck from His life and revive. Without the breath of the air no man lives, without the Might of the Son no man subsists. On His living breath that quickens all, depend the spirits that are above and that are beneath. When He sucked the milk of Mary, He was suckling all with Life. While He was lying on His Mother’s bosom, in His bosom were all creatures lying. He was silent as a Babe, and yet He was making His creatures execute all His commands. For without the First-born no man can approach unto the Essence, to which He is equal. [...]

Secular Christmas

Michelangelo - Madonna of the Stairs

The secular nature of Christmas has been very apparent to me this year. I am not sure if the world is truly more secularized or whether I am more sensitive to it. From the seventeen cards we have received barely half of them had a Christmas or Christian theme. This is amazing especially when considering that everyone who sent us a card is a Christian. It seems to me that very little thought was given to choosing the cards and that is a shame. Aren’t we supposed to witness or encourage one another. As I am reflecting on this there are several topics that come to my mind: images and worship, images as witnessing, meditation on religious art.

Spirit and Flesh

Someone on the radio said that it was wrong to use images as prayer aid because they are a remnant of pagan worship. A true Christian should be praying instead in spirit and truth (John 4:23-24) not using images or statues. This sounded logical at first but it shows really quite a few misunderstandings. According to John Wesley this verse in context means “The true worshippers shall worship the Father - Not here or there only, but at all times and in all places.” Another misunderstanding is the meaning of praying in spirit: because it was opposed to the use of images spiritual was understood as abstract. But that is not the meaning of spiritual in a Christian sense. Hindus, Taoists, Jehovah Witnesses, Gnostics, New Agers will oppose the spirit and the flesh. Even Islam (which in a sense is a “Christian” cult) honor Jesus but cannot accept His death on the cross as undignified of the great prophet He was.

There is no abstraction and no symbolism in Christianity. Symbols are part of the Old Testament. They prepare the truth and reality of Christ. God the Son came in the flesh to redeem the flesh. Christmas is not baby Jesus’ birthday it is the celebration of the mystery of the in-carn-ation (in-flesh-ment). We are not spirits like God and His angels (Heb 2:16). We were created from the beginning as body and soul humans. God the Son became man to sanctify and take the world to Himself (Tit 2:14). The Jews could not accept their Messiah to die on the cross (Heb 12:2). Let’s face it Christianity is gory reality. How much more real can this get: Mary’s uterus, the afterbirth, the stable, the straw, the animals, the stink, the eating, the sleeping, the tiredness, the cries, the sweat, the whipping, the nails, the cross, the burial, the resurrection. It is the resurrection of the body that we Christians hope for.

Contrary to all other religions (except maybe Judaism) Christian spiritualism is not about finding a way to detach our souls from our bodies: no nirvana, reiki, chakras or spiritual oneness here. The goal of Christian spirituality is not about meditating mantras but about meditating on the life of Christ. When we pray we are not reciting oms, we pray to know, love and serve God, to know and do the will of the Lord. Praying in spirit and in truth is not therefore about repudiating images as a tool for meditation but about searching and doing the will of the Holy Spirit and if images can help us do that, then those images can be holy and if a Christmas card can bring us to contemplating theological truths then they are rightfully called holy cards because they lead us to contemplate the holiness of God and spur us to grow in that holiness.

Christian Images

It’s sad that some Christians do not appreciate the value of images. We communicate in different ways. Some say that up to 95% of all communication is nonverbal. From the photographs we have in our wallets to advertising posters, from holiday cards to movies, from statues of saints to illustrated Bibles, we use images. When we see a beautiful sunset we want to capture it in film. Our world is a world of images. It was made that way and we were made to live in it and appreciate it. There is nothing wrong with images. I would even say that eliminating images from prayers would impoverish the depth of worship.

What I experienced this year with the lack of Christian meaning of half of the Christmas cards received would prove this point. Wanting to avoid idolatry we have made the use of images irrelevant and eliminated one of the most powerful tool for communication and evangelization. They say that an image is worth a thousand words. Why aren’t we using them?

When I send a Christmas card I search, I find, I contemplate whether it is the message I want to convey. But the message is there first and it has touched me in a special way and I want to share it to touch someone else in that same special way. Isn’t seeking and finding, being touched and sharing the same as prayer, inspiration and witnessing? When looking for a card to buy aren’t we looking to be in-spired (in spirit) and share that same spirit of truth?

Christian Art

A holy card, a statue in a church, a painting of Jesus praying communicate a message about Christ and is worthy of meditation and contemplation. To eliminate those images would be rejecting 2000 years of meditation and contemplation about the Christian mysteries. When I look at a painting or statue by Michelangelo Buonarroti I don’t see a sign of pagan worship. I see a man of great faith who has meditated on the meaning of Adam’s creation, the simplicity and confidence of David or the hope and dread of the Last Judgment. I see a man who was given the great gift to convey great theological truths in a visual way that the most sophisticated or the most simple man would understand. Michelangelo used paint and chisels like Shakespeare used a pen. Michelangelo witnessed his faith. He preached and evangelized with blueprints and scaffoldings, with mortar and marble, with wood and dye. He was inspired to inspire us. All for the glory of God.

There is nothing wrong with images or statues. They can be used for good or evil. They can be pagan or Christian. How do we know if they are Christian? If they are centered on Christ. No more Christmas cards representing snow men. Please.

Mother and Child

Bartolo - Virgin with the green cushion

What kind of picture is this? Some people might be chocked by it. It is a picture of a woman breast-feeding a baby. It is one of the most human and natural scene. A beautiful scene. The woman looks so caring, intent and focused on the child. It seems that she is oblivious to the beautiful scenery behind her. She is totally committed to her child. That child is the center of her world. The child is playful and contented. His eyes are closed, he is at peace and totally safe and secure in his mother’s arms. The painting is called “The Virgin with the green cushion” by Andrea di Bartolo. Before ending at the Louvre it belonged in a convent. This is a picture of the Virgin Mary and Jesus. Is Mary showing her breast shocking? Is this sacrilegious? Is this the representation of a pagan mother goddess?

If we look at this from a human perspective we see a homey image. I look at it and it reminds me of what I must have felt when I was a baby in my mother’s arms. I look at it and it reminds me of my daughter (no I never breast-fed her), when I used to hold her in my arms, close to my heart. The world stood still and I felt like this was really the meaning of life.

But we are Christians. This is not about Mary. It’s never about Mary. It’s about Christ. We are Christ centered people. Our prayers, our meditations must be Christ centered. We are people of the Incarnation. If we look at this painting in spirit and truth what is Bartolo’s meditation? What is he inviting us to think? Can we be inspired and inspire others?

This little helpless little child is the Omnipotent God of the Universe. He said the Word and the world came into being. This is foolishness (1Co 1:23) to some but we believe that he did become one of us. He, the Creator, made Himself totally dependent on His creature. He took the form of a child and slave. He wants this total trust relationship of a mother to her child, this total love and interdependence between the human and the Divine.

I think, in his meditation, the prayer of his work, Bartolo is asking us: are you totally committed to Jesus like Mary is? Is Jesus the center of your life? Are you so absorbed in serving Him that nothing else matters? Can Christ depend on you like Jesus depends on Mary? Do you take care of your faith? Do you feed it? How more personal can you get than a mother feeding her child? How close to your heart is Jesus? Do you have a personal relationship with Christ? We are told that we are temples of the Holy Spirit and God dwells in us. Do you carry God in your womb like Mary carried Him for nine months? Do you bear Him like she bore Him? Do you bear witness to His light like she brought Him to the light, He who is Light Himself? If you look at this painting and your eyes swell with tears thinking about your mother’s love or your child’s love, then when was the last time you looked at the face of Christ and cried?

If this painting can help me meditate on the above questions then there is nothing pagan about it. We should rather use images more often to meditate, to witness, to pray, to worship. What makes an image pagan or Spirit filled is the answer to the following question. What do you see when you look at the “Virgin with the green cushion” a mother goddess, a mother feeding her child or Christ’s love for humanity?

An image is worth a thousand words.

Merry Christmas.